Police Accuse Van Driver of Drug Deal

Deputies said an alleged dealer was using a special medical van to deliver drugs. The owner of the medical van company is worried that a subcontractor's alleged drug dealing might jeopardize a state contract to drive elderly patients to nursing homes and hospitals.

Investigators said, on a police surveillance tape, a white van appears. The driver of the van and another man exchange hugs and a bag is handed out the window. Narcotics officer said in that bag was one pound of marijuana.

Deputies said the surprising part of all exchange is that the van used in the alleged drug buy is a medical van, owned by Georgia Medical Transportation.

Butts County Sheriff Gene Pope was outraged that a medical van would deliver drugs.

"It's a philanthropic way to use it, that is to transporting the sick or the injured for treatment. But then again, that's something else to try and use it to transport and deliver drugs for sale," he said.

The driver of the van has been identified as 28-year-old Joseph Johnson. It has been confirmed that Johnson is a driver subcontracted by Georgia Medical Transportation.

Company officials said the van is used primarily to shuttle elderly patients to area hospitals.

Robert Hale, from GMT said that Johnson was not on duty at the time of his arrest. The drivers are allowed to take the vans home so they can be on-call. Hale said he's shocked to lea the van had been used for this purpose.

Investigators said the drug buy happened on a rural road in Butts County. Narcotics officers said they looked around for a place to hide so that they could videotape the buy going down. One officer said he got the idea to climb a tree to videotape it. The suspect's van drove right undeeath him.

Investigators said Johnson never saw the deputy in the tree. They said after they stopped Johnson in the van, he tried to run away and was tasered. Somehow, he kept running and a K-9 was used to drag him down.

"The dug grabbed his clothing and was able to hold him until he was apprehended," said Pope.

Investigators believe that Johnson made numerous drug runs between DeKalb County and Butts County.

Police have released the van back to the company.